We could all use a good laugh. Here are eight hilarious Korean dramas guaranteed to put you in a good mood and help you forget about the pandemic for just a little while

While most K-dramas—even the serious thrillers and hardcore romances—have numerous bits of levity thrown in, there are some Korean series that are just non-stop laughs. We’re talking scene after scene of hilarity, ridiculously comical plot lines and situations, side-splittingly funny characters and hysterical physical humour. The Koreans are really good at romantic comedies, and we often find ourselves doubled over in laughter one second and heart-fluttered the next.

If laughter is the best medicine, then give us more of that K-drama rom-com healing. Here are eight uproariously funny shows to escape into, as we go into our umpteenth semi-lockdown. You’re welcome.

See also: 11 Korean Dramas With the Highest Ratings in 2021: Which Haven’t You Watched?

Mr Queen

Tatler Asia

Beware of watching this show late at night if you’re lying next to your sleeping spouse or plugged into your headphones in a quiet room. Because you will laugh out loud. The situation of a free-spirited and almost boorish male chef transported back in time and trapped in the body of a genteel Joseon-era queen is so ridiculous and funny, it’ll make you snort. Shin Hye-sun is comical perfection as the titular Mr Queen, as she struggles with both her newfound feminine body and the restrictions of a different era. Leave your disbelief at the door, and the drama becomes thoroughly enjoyable and clever. The supporting characters are part of the fun—Cha Chung-hwa as Court Lady Choi is comedy gold in every scene she’s in, and Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong is the perfect comedic straight man, as he puzzles over the queen’s antics.

We couldn’t stop guffawing at the scene where the queen tries her darndest to avoid having to consummate her marriage on her wedding night with the king, complete with lots of riotous physical comedy. Amazingly, this show will make you laugh until you cry and also cry actual sad tears at the bittersweet plot. No wonder it was a huge ratings hit when it aired earlier this year. Not to be missed if you need a good laugh and want to check if your tear ducts are working. 

Watch it on Viu

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo

Tatler Asia

Lee Sung-kyung as the titular Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo really carries this show (and weights, too), so adorable is she as an innocent and pure-hearted college weightlifter who falls in love with a star swimmer. Her various pouty and exaggerated facial expressions could be annoying, but somehow, they’re actually cute and funny.

This 2016 K-drama was a huge hit, and a must-watch for the sizzling chemistry between Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk, who became a real-life couple after the show. Though they’ve since broken up, fans still ship them and can’t get enough of their hilariously childish interactions in this drama. The scenes where he teases her at the start of the show are fan faves, along with a particularly funny and sweet scene where they can’t stop saying good night to each other on the phone. Then there’s the one where he gets jealous, and the one where she gets jealous… and all the uproarious scenes where Bok-joo and her friends eat so much, it scares everyone else. A coming-of-age romantic comedy that’s as sweet as it’s hysterical, with uber telegenic leads—what’s not to love? 

Watch it on Netflix

See also: 10 Most Expensive Korean Dramas to Produce: ‘Crash Landing On You’, ‘Vincenzo’ and More

True Beauty 

Tatler Asia

Another recent massive rom-com hit where you have to suspend your disbelief for full enjoyment. Moon Ga-young stars as Lim Ju-kyung, a high school student who is bullied for being ugly. To the viewer, she really just has a bad complexion and an inferiority complex, but in the context of the show, her looks make her totally miserable. But when she switches schools and discovers make-up tutorials on the Internet, her life changes, as she suddenly becomes the most gorgeous girl on campus (yes, as we said, suspend that disbelief).

Hilarity ensues as the two hottest guys in school fight for her affections, while she tries to hide her true makeup-free face from them and everyone else. Moon Ga-young is adorable as the conflicted but kind-hearted Ju-kyung, and the success of this show is no doubt due also to its two of the most beautiful male leads in one single drama in recent memory, Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-youp. Cha is swoon-worthy in every scene as the ice-cool school hottie, while Hwang is swoon-worthy and funny in every scene as the bad boy with a soft spot for Ju-kyung. That scene where he dances to “Okey Dokey” in leopard-print underwear has already probably gone into the annals of K-drama history as one of the most-replayed scenes ever. True Beauty serves up laughs aplenty and lots of heart-fluttering moments too. A must-watch.

Watch it on Viu

See also: 5 Reasons ‘Move To Heaven’ Is a Show for Non-Korean Drama Fans

Fight For My Way

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Famed for one of the most amusingly cringey male displays of aegyo (a series of act-cute actions specific to Koreans) courtesy of Park Seo-joon, this 2017 rom-com is a fave among K-drama aficionados, who can’t get enough of the sparklingly funny chemistry between Park, who plays Ko Dong-man, an MMA fighter who struggles with his past and Kim Ji-won’s Choi Ae-ra, an aspiring announcer. As the two go from BFFs to omg-I’m-in-love-with-my-best-friend to making-out status, fighting with and shouting at each other all the way, you can’t help but root for them to succeed in love and life, so hilariously and adorably perfect for each other are they.

Watch it on Netflix

See also: Why ‘Nevertheless’ is the Latest Must-Watch Korean Drama on Netflix

Welcome to Waikiki

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Wacky doesn’t even begin to describe this 2018 sitcom about three friends who open a guest house called Waikiki, and the buffoonery that happens over the course of 20 episodes. The guys (Kim Jung-hyun, Lee Yi-kyung and Son Seung-won—all hilarious) and their guests are so committed to acting OTT and looking like total clowns that you just have to applaud their bravery, banish all common sense and lean into the slapstick humour. The show became so well-loved for its unabashed imbecility, it gained a kind of cult status and spawned a second season, which stars Kim Seon-ho (before he got famous from Start-Up) and Moon Ga-young (before she got famous from True Beauty).

Watch it on Netflix

See also: 7 Iconic Trios From our Favourite Korean Dramas

Strong Girl Bong-soon 

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One of the most cutesy and diminutive Korean actresses plays a woman blessed with superhuman strength in this riotous romp from 2017. Park Bo-young, with her huge peepers and feigned innocence, is endearingly funny and charming as Bong-soon, who must hide her super-strength from everyone. She’s hired as a bodyguard for Park Hyung-sik’s arrogant gaming company CEO, and of course, it’s cue all kinds of ludicrous and side-splitting hijinks. The scene where she fights a whole gang of thugs and puts them all in hospital, and the one where she tries to pole-dance at a club but ends up breaking the pole, are some of the funniest moments in K-drama. Park Hyung-sik holds his own as a fine comic actor, and special mention to Kim Won-hae as Oh Dol-ppyeo, a manager at the gaming company, whose effeminate and OTT antics had us ROFL.

Watch it on Netflix

See also: 7 Korean Celebrities Who are Really Brainy, Including BTS’ RM and Song Joong-Ki

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

Tatler Asia

The exchanges between Park Min-young’s bright-eyed secretary with the mostest and Park Seo-jun’s conceited vice-chairman of a big corporation alternates between comedy gold and utterly heart-fluttering. PSJ’s character’s blinding narcissism provides many of the funniest moments, as he simply cannot comprehend why his secretary would want to leave him, or why she refuses his advances, when she should be flattered beyond belief. A “laugh track” in the form of a mooing cow audio adds to the silliness, along with a fab supporting cast. This 2018 rom-com is light-hearted fun—let go of your worries and just enjoy.

Watch it on Netflix

See also: 5 Korean Dramas With Cast Members Who Have the Best Chemistry Onscreen and Off

My Love from the Star

Tatler Asia

If you’re a fan of slapstick comedy and Jun Ji-hyun, this 2013 romantic comedy of errors about an alien with special powers (played by Kim Soo-hyun) and an egotistical actress (Jun) is for you. From her exaggerated facial expressions to OTT hysterics, this drama is great if you’re in the mood to leave your brain at the door and just enjoy some crazy plotlines and acting, along with Kim looking extremely suave at all times as the ice-cool alien. 

Watch it on Netflix

See also: 6 K-Drama Product Placements That Are Impossible to Miss

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